WElcome to b321!

When visitors enter my classroom, it is my hope that they are immediately met with a sense of comfort and collaboration, as I have worked to instill both concepts through the overall design. My student desk organization, teacher station arrangement, and overall wall-decor were all inspired by my teaching philosophy: every day we will work on transferable skills, such as discussion and critical contemplation, in order to build a strong community of learners that will achieve success outside and beyond the school environment.

When I saw my classroom for the first time in June 2015, I was struck by how stark and institutional the room felt: the walls were bare, exposing the blindingly white brick and drawing immediate attention to the 32 traditional, single-seat desks facing the SMARTBoard in neat rows, likely where the teacher presented. Immediately, I knew that the room could not stay the way it was as it did not at all reflect the engaging and comforting environment I wanted to create for my students.

Over the years, I have collected a variety of furniture and decor that better embodies my teaching philosophy and overall style. Many of the traditional, single-seat desks have been replaced by trapezoid tables with freestanding, colorful chairs in order to better suit the collaborative focus of my classroom. In addition to the daily desk-work area, my students helped me to create a “cozy collaboration station,” as we lovingly refer to it, in order to have a “homier” space for small-group work or independent reading. The reading bench, green coffee table, and low-pile rug instills a feeling of warmth within the classroom, reinforcing the notion that I want students to feel as though my room is their home away from home while they are at school. I oftentimes have students request to work in this area during their study hall time or if they are waiting for a ride after school, suggesting that the space reflects an area they’d like to spend time in.

Branched off of the cozy collaboration station is my teacher workspace, where I keep my student records, files, and general school information. This year, I used to two desks to make a small cove for my workspace, though I am rarely found behind it during class time. However, because of my open-door policy, students often come visit throughout the school day, or before and after school, when I am working at my computer. To avoid a “closed-off” feeling, the collaboration station’s stools double as a seating arrangement for students to sit and conference with me while I am at my workstation. Through the use colorful fabrics and decorations, I have tried to make the desk exposed to my students as warm and friendly in appearance as possible, so they do not feel as though it is a space they do not belong in.

Additionally, I have worked to add color to the room through the wall hangings and paper-lanterns. My students often comment on how calming the room is in the midst of the chaos that can be high school hallways, making my room a “meeting place” for many clubs or after-school group projects, even if the students are no longer my own. Echoing our discussions in class to “explore the world” around them through literature and beyond, I have encouraged students to send me postcards from various locations they have been. This helps students to feel as though the classroom is truly their own, in addition to helping them see that I recognize and value their lives outside of a high school setting.

In the spirit of allowing the students to feel ownership of the classroom, I emphasize that I expect a high-level of independence from them. Reiterating this concept, I have all the supplies they may need available at the “student materials table” and the hanging wall files immediately when they enter the room. At the materials table, students have access to extra supplies such as paper, pencils, and highlighters; this is also where we keep our hand sanitizer and tissues for student use. Next to the supply table are hanging files for absent work. The students know that, if they are absent, they are required to go to their respective class’ absent folder and retrieve the work they missed. I have found that this system works to instill a level of responsibility necessary for high school and beyond, subtly reinforcing the notion that it is on the student to figure out what they need to do to become caught up with their classes.

Reinforcing this level of independence, the bulletin board above the collaboration station has all of our classroom codes for the learning management systems we utilize: Remind and GoogleClassroom. The wall also has class start times, the lunch schedule, and counselor assignments so that students can easily access the information they need when they need it.

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